Choked with Emotion

I found out Monday evening that a long time friend, mentor, and Pastor died. It’s still hard for me to believe but I just saw the obituary. I first met him as a missionary bund for Russia. He had been a missionary to South Korea, starting several churches there. His wife Joy and children Ahna, Seth, Rebecca, and Benjamin were making the deputation tour with him. He was short in stature, but larger than life in his passion to serve the Lord. His love of his family and fellow man was dwarfed only by his love of God and his passion to share the Gospel story.

I’ve seen many other posts from people that Pastor Norman Johnston has impacted. Teaching, preaching, and starting churches he shared his life and knowledge with the unsaved and those seeking to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

I have many memories of this wonderful man I call my friend, but nearly everyone that he met called him a friend. His preaching and teaching often meandered down a rabbit trail with facts that only made the illustration he was making more interesting. Any and all age groups responded to this man’s compassion. Pastor J. had an infectious smile that welcomed from the first meeting.

It was under his stewardship that my wife Cindy, my children Amanda, Andrew, and Anna made out trips out west, visiting places that are blessed memories. Two of my children and I accompanied him as we drove to the northern tip of New Foundland and took a ship farther north to Nain in Labrador, just because one young man expressed a desire to be a missionary there.

My son, with several others shared the trip to South Korea as Pastor Johnson returned to celebrate an anniversary of a church he founded there. Lives of people he met in Russia have improved because of his sharing the Bread of Life and several potatoes he brought from America.

Every person that Pastor Norm met has story after story of how he impacted our lives. Volumes of tales could be written about him and my words do little justice. We will sorely miss him, but I know there is rejoicing in Heaven.